Canonicity
Dragon Ball Canon The Manga Dragonball In the universe of Dragon Ball, the highest level of canon is the manga Dragon Ball. Published in Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan, the comic was both written and drawn by Akira Toriyama. As such, it represents the ultimate and correct vision of his world as it was presented to his readers. Fortunately, the manga itself is relatively free from direct contradictions, though there are certainly some topics open for debate. Although Viz Communications is thought to do a good job translating the manga into English by fans, the final and authoritative source is the original Japanese comic. Kanzenban Rerelease In the 2002-04 rerelease of the Dragon Ball manga (called the Kanzenban, or "complete edition"), Akira Toriyama rewrote the final four pages of the series. However, this change has no impact on the storyline. (Son Goku gives Kintoun to Uub at the conclusion of the series, rather than carrying the boy on his back.) The only change significant to the story in the re-release is that the date of the Cell Game is changed to the 26th of May, from the 17th of "M." This was done to remove a noticeable contradiction in the series, specifically that if the Jinzōningen arrived on May 12th and at least 10 days elapsed between then and the start of the Cell Game, a date of May 17th for the latter event would be impossible. (Alternative theories, such as the month after May in the Dragon Ball universe starting with the letter "M", now appear to hold no weight.) Dr. Slump Prior to writing Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama wrote a separate weekly humor manga for Shonen Jump called Dr. Slump. It featured the adventures of an inept inventor and his android daughter Arale in Penguin Village. During the Red Ribbon Army Saga, Son Goku and General Blue wind up in Penguin Village and are assisted by characters from the previous series. Dr. Slump itself is not meant to be taken seriously, as it contains references to the real world, as well as generally "implausible" events such as the earth being cut in half (in a comedic fashion). While the characters in Dr. Slump exist as cameos in the Dragon Ball universe, it is debatable at best whether the Dragon Ball universe is truly compatible with the world portrayed in Dr. Slump. Neko Majin Z Long after finishing up with Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama has written a short series of one-shot comics that parody Dragon Ball. Called Neko Majin Z (because it stars a cat-warrior named "Z"), it features several characters from or inspired by Dragon Ball. (For example: the Saiyan Onio and his wife, Freeza's son Kuriza, Z's rival Neko Majin Usagi and even appearances by Vegeta, Majin Buu and Goku.) Because the manga is intended as a parody of Dragon Ball, most fans do not consider it a sequel and do not consider the events canonical. That has not prevented the characters of Neko Majin Z from appearing in Dragon Ball fan fiction or Kuriza from showing up in some Dragon Ball Z video games and being included in character lists by some fans. Kochikame 30th anniversary manga For the 30th anniversary of kochikame the longest running manga to date, a special manga was made. The manga was a crossover between various different mangas and kochikame characters. Ryo-san, having been reassigned to Planet Namek, runs across Frieza and tries to arrest him for parking his UFO illegally. Vegeta and Goku make appearances as well. While it was co-written by Akira Toriyama and had appearances by Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, and took place on Namek it is not considered to be canon. Cross Epoch Cross Epoch is a Japanese manga by Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda. It's a crossover between "Dragon Ball" and "One Piece". It was released on December 25th, 2006 in the Weekly Shōnen Jump. Because it features alternate versions of dragonball manga and is a crossover manga it is not considered canon. The Anime The second highest level of canon in Dragon Ball is the two anime series based on the comic: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. This anime series significantly "fill out" the plot of the Dragon Ball comic with many extended sequences. This is due largely to the comic and the anime being produced in parallel; it was often necessary for the anime to add filler material to keep from getting ahead of the manga. These extended sequences often fill out the backstory, but frequently are contradicted by events later in the manga. Most fans consider the events in the anime to be somewhat canon, unless they are directly contradicted by events later in the series. Again, the original Japanese version is considered the authoritative source for anime canon, as the English dubs introduce inconsistencies and misinformation that further muddle the story. TV Specials There are two Dragon Ball Z television specials, which aired as special double-length episodes during the normal course of the series. The Dragon Ball Z television specials are noteworthy in that their content (for the most part) does not contradict the manga. The Bardock special contradicts the manga only in that Goku appears happy (rather than violent and bloodthirsty) at the end, and Bardock himself later appeared in a two-panel stint in the manga. The Trunks special was actually based on a special chapter of the manga, though it presents an alternate version of certain events in that chapter (namely, it alters when Trunks was able to achieve Super Saiyan, for dramatic effect). There is one Dragon Ball GT television special, which is grouped with that series in terms of canon level. Garlic Jr. Saga The Garlic Junior Saga is an interesting exception to most of the filler used in the anime and its level of canon is disputed. Like much of the other filler, it does not include situations described in the original manga. However, it is a direct sequel to events from the first Dragon Ball Z movie, "Return My Gohan!" (dub: "Dead Zone"). It details a second attempt by Garlic Junior to take over the world and also features other elements which are more difficult to rationalize in the anime such as the appearance of Son Gohan's pet dragon from Movie #3, Haiyaa Dragon. Because it does not have the level of contradictions found in other movies, some fans consider both the Garlic Jr. Saga and Dead Zone to have "happened" within the anime canon. This remains, however, a controversial topic. Dead Zone is considered to take place shortly before the start of Dragon Ball Z, but two problems arise when fitting it into the flow of the series: given that the Dragon Balls are used in the film, Son Goku is alive, and Son Gohan is still very young, it must happen at least a full year before Goku is revived (and thus before the start of the series); on the other hand, Son Gohan is known to the characters in the movie, where he was unknown to them in the series itself. Thus, claims of canonicity are contentious at best. Dragon Ball GT Dragon Ball GT was an original sequel series to Dragon Ball Z, based on the manga by Akira Toriyama. Toriyama did contribute some material early on, such as character designs for the leads, their spaceship, and some of the aliens, but for the most part, it was the work of Toei Animation. The author himself has had no problems with the series, and has publicly stated on a number of occasions that he liked it and considers it something of a "sidestory." This view is shared (though usually with far less goodwill toward the series) among many fans. Regardless of the creator's influence, a number of plot holes make the series difficult to classify as canon. These include, but are not limited to: Son Goku's immature behavior in his child form, despite retaining his adult memories and strength. Trunks and Son Goku not using Super Saiyan as often as they ought to, in fights where it would easily allow them to win. Vegeta growing (and then shaving off) a mustache, when Saiyans are previously stated to only have hair that grows in a set pattern, to a certain length. (There is no previous evidence of Vegeta shaving in the series, though his father, when depicted in the anime, had a mustache and beard.) Freeza and Cell being immortal in Hell, when in the final chapters of the manga it was revealed that someone dead can indeed be killed again, apparently totally destroying them. Thus, Dragon Ball GT is often considered a non-canon "epilogue" to the main plot that takes place after the events of Dragon Ball Z. The Daizenshuu The final component which most fans consider to be canonical information is the several daizenshuu which were released only in Japan. These "Perfect File" books are reference guides to the series and often contain character and attack names and other clarifiations which are not present in the manga or anime themselves. There are no current plans to release these books in the US and they are out of print even in Japan. Many fans however question how canon the actual books are. The books were not actually written by Akira Toriyama. The Power Levels given in the books are often disregarded by some fans who find inconsistencies in them. One notable example is that Nappa's power level is stated to be 4,000 in the books, though this is never given in the manga along with assortment of other readings given. Both the manga and Daizenshuu state Goku's power level during the fight to be 8,000 which means he was twice Nappa's power level suggesting he should have had an easy time defeating him without using Kaiô-ken. This is not true as Nappa manages to trade blows with Goku and after deflecting Nappa's strongest attack, comments that the fight will take forever without the use of Kaiou-ken, contradicting the stated information in the daizenshuu. The Movies Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z each had a number of movies made, generally two each year (one each for the spring and summer recesses from school). While it is possible to relate the movies to a relative time period within the series itself, they often contradict, make impossible, or completely replace the normal flow of the series. Several movies have relatively few such conflicts, but none are completely free of them except 9. The movies are generally considered to be "sidestories" or "what if?" situations based on (or in a parallel universe to) the series, but not part of the series itself. The "OVA" Commonly believed to be an OVA, "Plot To Destroy the Saiya-jin!" is actually the strung together cutscenes of a Playdia game released as a movie. It is generally considered lower than the movies on the canon scale, though it is noteworthy in that its villain, Dr. Raichii, was more or less rehashed into Dr. Mu for Dragon Ball GT. The Games At the very bottom rung of canon is the world of video games and collectible card games. These games usually are designed and built by people with little affiliation with the series itself and may contain inaccuracies. Notes on Translations There are a large number of inconsistencies between the various English translation of the series with respect to character names and translations. Many fans do not agree which of the translations have the "correct" spelling and Romanization of names. Other solutions, such as using a standard Hepburn romanization, tend to make name puns and some of the fun of the series more obscure. As long as there are Dragon Ball fans, there will be arguments over the correct English names. Although not universally agreed upon, the Viz Communications translations of the manga are a generally accepted source of "correct" names. Their translation is more direct than the anime translation and they have the advantage of working directly in a textual medium so that spelling is never in question. Of course, even that translation is imperfect and cannot be accepted as completely authoritative ("Mr. Satan," for example, is the original name of a character that was changed to "Hercule" by Viz).